The present invention relates to a mechanism for transporting cards or strip-like media such as tickets past various processing stages such as read, write and/or verify heads. The mechanism is particularly directed to a ticket transport mechanism for use in an automatic fare ticket processing system where a patron inserts a ticket into a transport mechanism which moves the ticket past magnetic read or write heads, or similar processors, to verify the ticket or to add or remove fare value from the ticket. In many such systems a ticket can be purchased to the value of multiple rides, with the transport mechanism removing the value of one ride from the ticket, for example. It also has application to credit card processing systems such as automatic teller machines and the like.
In such systems, a ticket or card normally passes into a ticket enclosure or receiving housing in which the ticket is processed. After verification and/or other processing, the ticket or card is returned to the customer. In automatic passenger transit systems, such a housing may be provided on a vehicle such as a bus, tram or train, or may be associated with an entry gate which is opened to permit the patron or passenger to pass through or verification of the ticket. At the system exit, a similar ticket receiving housing will be provided into which the ticket must be inserted to permit opening of an exit gate. If there is a malfunction in the ticket processing equipment, or if the ticket is defective, the ticket could potentially remain in the housing and not be readily recoverable. The passenger then has to contact a supervisor, if one is available, to open up the housing and attempt to recover his ticket. This causes delays, particularly during peak travel times, and can cause significant anxiety to a passenger, particularly where a large stored value ticket is involved and where a supervisor willing to open the housing is not readily available. The necessity for releasing such jammed tickets is time consuming for a transit supervisor who has many other duties.
Similar concerns apply to automatic credit card processing systems in closed housings, where malfunctions could cause a customer to lose the use of a valuable credit card for an extended period of time.
Malfunctions or jamming of the ticket or card transport mechanism in such processing systems can occur because of a fault in the system, defective tickets, loss of power, or for other reasons. Non-return of fare tickets can also occur because of insufficient rides or stored value on the ticket. In any of these cases, the patron may not understand the reason why his ticket is being witheld.
Thus some transit systems have discovered that their patrons feel uncomfortable in placing fare tickets of large value or covering a large number of rides into an enclosed housing with no assurance that the ticket will be returned to them. It is therefore desirable to allow patrons to observe tickets as they are transported through the mechanism, and to allow the patrons themselves to pull the tickets out should they become jammed or trapped. This also adds to the safety of transit station attendants since they do not have to leave their protected booth to clear jammed ticket transports. On buses or other vehicles, the driver will not have to leave his seat to clear jams in the mechanism.
In our U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,843 of the same applicant as this Application and assigned to the same assignee, which issued on Aug. 12, 1986, an easy access ticket transport was described which has an open longitudinal slot along which tickets are passed for fare processing with a portion of each ticket projecting upwardly out of the slot so that the patron can see his ticket at all times and can grab it and remove it if necessary. The transport mechanism moves the ticket along the slot with the portion within the slot passing read, write/encode and verify heads at a predetermined speed to allow effective reading as well as writing and encoding on the ticket. In this ticket transport the ticket passes in a vertical orientation along the slot with a portion projecting upwardly out of the slot.